Greece orders partial evacuation of Athens suburb as wildfires spread

Greek authorities ordered the partial evacuation of parts of Haidari, a suburb located approximately 11 kilometres west of central Athens, following a forest fire. The Greek Civil Protection issued the order via emergency mobile phone alerts through the 112 system. Two messages were sent: the first at 16:03 for the wider area, and a second at 16:22 calling for evacuations from Afaia Haidariou and Ano Dasos Haidariou towards Peristeri via Athinon Avenue. [claim:1, claim:2, claim:3, claim:18]

A wildfire broke out on the slopes of Mount Poikilo in the Aspropyrgos area, west of Athens, at approximately 15:29 on Friday. The blaze has resulted in road closures and traffic restrictions. The Western Attica Arson Crimes Investigation Unit has been activated to investigate the cause of the fire. [claim:8, claim:14, claim:20, claim:21]

In the Aspropyrgos area, 108 firefighters—including six ground teams from the 1st EMODE special wildfire unit—and 27 vehicles are operating at the scene. Aerial firefighting efforts include five aircraft and six helicopters. Water tankers from the municipalities of Aspropyrgos, Fyli, Petroupoli, and Peristeri are also assisting. [claim:15, claim:16, claim:17]

Multiple fires and extreme conditions

A separate forest fire broke out on Friday morning in the Agios Vasilios area of Boeotia. More than 105 firefighters and 29 vehicles were reported to be tackling that blaze. Gale force winds have hampered water-dropping aircraft in the region, leaving only one helicopter able to take on water from the sea. [claim:4, claim:5, claim:6]

The Greek Fire Service reported that more than 70 forest fires were ongoing as of Friday afternoon. The fire service classified the area as Category 4, indicating a very high risk of wildfires. Additionally, explosion sounds related to electrical grid infrastructure were heard in the forested area during the fire. Authorities are considering the evacuation of the Dafni Psychiatric Hospital if the situation worsens. [claim:12, claim:19, claim:10, claim:9]

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These developments follow severe wildfires on the island of Crete, where it was reported that 4,500 hectares of land burned over a two-day period. In the Rethymno region of Crete, 8,000 people were evacuated, and three firefighters died in the ongoing forest fires in Greece. [claim:11, claim:13]